Fruit-evaporator



P. L. LEDPORD. FRUIT EVAPORATOR.

(No Model.)

No 533,542. Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

WU asses MW 5 L il nrrsn STATES PATENT FRANK L. LEDFORD, OF GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA.

FRUlT-EVAPO R ATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,542, dated February 5, 1895.

Application filed February 28,1894. i'serial No. 501,184. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK L. LEDFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gainesville, in the county of Hall and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Fruit- Evaporator, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in evaporators or driers for fruit and vegetables, the objects in view being to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient device in which the steam generated in the boiler has free access to the bottoms of all of the drying pans without passingthr'ongh conductor-tubes or pipes, as in the ordinary construction.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of an evaporator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures of the drawwas.

The body-portion or framework of the improved evaporator comprises the end pieces 1, connected by the parallel side pieces 2, and a metallic bottom 3 secured to thelower edges of said end and side pieces and thus forming a central boiler or steam generator. The end pieces extend above the plane of the upper edges of the side pieces and are provided with the lateral armshhaving inclined lower edges, to which are secured the inclined doors 5, and the ends of the arms are connected parallel with the sides of the tank or steam generator with side strips 6, thus forming the lateral chambers 7, which are in direct communication throughout their lengths with the central boiler or generator. The side strips 6 are extended above the plane of the edges of the end pieces to form ribs 8, and intermediate points of the end pieces are connected at their upper edges with the longitudinal bars 10, which are flush with said upper edges of the end pieces and are provided at their centers with ribs 11. The trays 12, which are adapted to contain the fruit or vegetables to be dried, are of widths to fit between the ribs at the upper edges of the framework and rest upon the upper edges of the end pieces and the bars which connect the same. The end strips 6 are also shouldered at their inner sides in the plane of the upper edges of the end pieces to form rests at the outer sides of the side trays. Thus the boiler or steam generator extends beyond the side edges of the central tray, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, and the lateral chambers! which communicate directly with said boiler, form extensions thereof, and thus convey the steam generated in the boiler to the under surfaces of all of the trays; and the rests which are provided to support the trays extend under both side and end edges of the latter, thus forming sufficiently tight joints to prevent the undue escape of the steam.

It will be understood that any desired number of trays may be employed in connection with the device as described, but in the drawings I have shown three as being a convenient number for ordinary use.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame having a central boiler 1 and lateral communicating chambers 7, the floors of said chambers being inclined downward toward the central boiler and being arranged above the plane of the floor of said boiler, and removable trays supported by said frame at its top and extending over the upper sides of the central boiler and the lateral chambers,whereby the tops thereof are closed, I

substantially as specified.

2. A fruit evaporator having a framework provided with end pieces connected by side pieces, said end pieces being extended above the plane of the upper edges of the side pieces and having lateral arms with inclined lower edges, floors secured to the lower inclined edges of said lateral arms, side strips connected to the extremities of said arms and extendir g above the plane of the upper edges of the end pieces to form ribs, supporting-bars connecting intermediate points of the end pieces,

ISO

arranged flush with the upper edges of said my oWnI have hereto affixed my signature in end pieces and provided with ribs parallelwith the presence of two Witnesses. the ribs formed at the upper edges of the side strips, and trays resting upon said supporting FRANK LEDFORD' 5 bars and fitting snugly between the ribs, sub- Witnesses:

stantially as specified. W. K. WILLIAMS,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as A. S. ERWIN. 

